The Queen Returns—And She's Unforgiving

Mason had just come over and happened to witness the entire confrontation.

Clapping his hands, he walked up to Lucas. "I have to say, Evelyn is rather different now. That said, the things she said were pretty harsh."

Good thing Tiffany was magnanimous. Otherwise, if she'd chosen to make a fuss about it, Lucas would have surely sided with Tiffany and left Evelyn in an awkward spot.

Only then did Lucas finally take out the cigarette again and light it.

Mason thought for a moment, then added, "You're not actually going to take Evelyn to the event, are you? That kind of occasion is full of people who know you both. Wouldn't that basically be announcing to everyone that Evelyn is your wife?

"From how I see it... Evelyn would love nothing more than to go with you and make the relationship public. Isn't that exactly what she's always wanted? I'm telling you-when the time comes, you won't even need to say anything. She'll contact you first, asking to go together."

He hissed slightly as he said that, drawing on past experience to arrive at his guess.

As for Evelyn's dismissive attitude earlier, that was probably her playing hard to get.

Lucas didn't seem to take the issue to heart. "She won't."

She won't? Mason couldn't quite wrap his head around that. What exactly did that mean?

Did he mean that she wouldn't go public, or that she wouldn't ask Lucas to go with her?

Still, he offered a reminder as a precaution in case she stirred up trouble last minute. "I think you should still prepare a backup plan. Find a way to stop her from going."

Besides, it wouldn't be good for Tiffany's reputation either.

Lucas looked down and thought for a moment. Only after glancing at the message on his phone did he respond faintly, "She will go."

Mason was puzzled, but Lucas didn't explain anything. He simply took long strides into the private room.

When Evelyn and Justine returned to the private room, Sebastian leaned over and quietly asked why they'd taken so long to come in.

Justine was still fuming from what Millie had said earlier and Tiffany's superior attitude. She immediately recounted everything that had just happened.

"They really think they're legitimate family members now. You wouldn't believe the airs they're putting on! Evie is the legitimate wife, yet they are still making fun of her?"

Maybe Justine was exasperated, but her voice was much louder.

Across the room, Charles and two other engineers from the technical department, Yara Zole and Bailey Thompson, all looked over.

"Something about Ms. Reed being the legitimate wife... Is Ms. Reed married?" Charles hadn't caught the whole conversation, only the keywords-Evie, legitimate wife.

He looked at Evelyn in surprise. "Ms. Reed, who's your husband?"

The others also looked over. Bailey immediately asked, "Why haven't we heard you mention him? Is he someone from our industry?"

Evelyn didn't respond.

Justine quickly changed the subject, putting on a stern face. "Why are you all so nosy? Go! Get the menu and start ordering."

The group was itching with curiosity, but they knew they wouldn't be getting any solid answers now.noveldrama

She then raised a more serious concern. "If Evie really goes with Lucas, and he decides to deny their relationship in public, it wouldn't be surprising if he just leaves her hanging. It's frustrating just to think about it."

There was no need to imagine the rest.

Maria didn't know the two had divorced and insisted they both attend. Lucas had asked Evelyn to show up, clearly to appease Maria.

What would happen once she arrived there? Would Lucas go through the motions and pretend they were still a couple, or did he have other plans?

Sebastian, however, had already thought it through. After a pause, he replied, "Mr. Miller Senior's birthday banquet? I'm on the guest list too."

Evelyn and Justine looked at him in surprise.

He tapped the table lightly, then elaborated, "Here's the plan. Evie can go with me. That way, you'll be present like you're supposed to, but it has nothing to do with Lucas.

"More importantly, a lot of people from the industry will be at the banquet-it's a great opportunity for Flying Seal Group to build connections and expand our business. Let's focus on being pragmatic."

Evelyn gave it some thought.

From Flying Seal Group's perspective, it made sense. If it had only been Lucas asking her to attend, she might have tried to find a way to avoid it. Since Sebastian would be there, and it would benefit the company, she had no qualms.

As for what Lucas had in store, Evelyn couldn't be bothered. It was his business.